Hot Take: Info and Ads Section on Facebook

An episode of Inner Sircle

On this episode, I just give me a quick take on Checkout from Instagram. I love that they are removing some of the friction and allowing you to transact right on the platform I believe this is going to be a big deal and lead to a lot of revenue and a lot of upside for both brands of consumers.

On this episode, I talk about supporting retail relationships with paid media. If you want to help massage velocity, then you need to be spending money on Facebook and Instagram advertising as well as smart, integrated influencer collaborations.

On this episode, I talk about some updates coming out from Instagram. Specifically their branded content ads, a potential rollout of Creator profiles and their ongoing commitment to purging fake accounts and shady activity.

On this episode, I give a quick POV on why brands shouldn’t overthink their social media content. Let the audience and the data tell you what performs, be fast and be willing to be in nimble. This is especially true with Instagram Story content. They should be in the moment experimental and fun. Not over thought, super stylized or too structured!

On this episode, I talk about whether or not content marketing is actual advertising. I reference a piece from socialmediatoday.com but more specifically just go into my thoughts on content marketing and context marketing in general.

On this episode, I talk about some early Intel on some improvements to IGTV as well as potentially rolling public collections the Instagram platform. Keep a close eye on both as Instagram leans more toward IGTV visibility and E-commerce!

On this episode, I break down an article from socialmediatoday.com that talks about some of the do’s and don’ts of social media in 2019. I give my perspective based on our agency’s view and approach and I hope you find it helpful.

On this episode, I talk about the Instagram fake account purged that happened on February 12. Instagram wants to continue to clean up his platform and from time to time it will clean out these fake and fraudulent users. Brands should not sweat it as these numbers do not matter.

On this episode, I talk about how Instagram rolled out IGTV promotions in the main feed. Now you can publish your IGTV videos directly to your Instagram feed and tease users to come back and watch the full video on IGTV. Brands should be experimenting with this for sure.

On this episode, I talk about including your social media manager in more conversations about all aspects of your business. Too many brands put their social media manager in a silo and don’t allow them to really dig deep into other components of their day-to-day activities. By including your social media manager more they can be a more affective head of comms for your business.

On this episode, I talk about an article in on socialmediatoday.com that breaks down bad social media marketing habits and how to break them. I talk about not following vanity metrics, a lack of storytelling, weak analytics, siloed social media, and neglecting paid social.

Instagram Stories just rolled out the ability to link to the story and improved upon their promotion tools for Story content. These are compelling updates to help get more out of the content you create specifically for Stories.

On this episode, I talk a little bit about a report put out by Klear and specifically how brands should be focused on Instagram Stories and leveraging nano and micro influencers to help them in this area.

On this episode, I talk about Instagram Story highlights and some tips for how to use them better. I reference an article on socialmediatoday written by Phoebe Bain and give a little bit of my own spin on it too. This is top billing real estate that you should be using for your brand.

On this episode, I talk about how you shouldn’t dismiss a social network and decide it is not a viable platform for your business until you have done some homework. It is not so binary and you have to take into account who your target audience is and what your messages are before you decide which platform to leverage for marketing your business.

On this episode, I talk about Facebook adding CTA stickers to their Stories and why brands should be paying attention. 300 million users are checking out Stories on a daily basis and that represents a lot of eyeballs. Not only is this now a good place to be focusing from a branding point of view but now there are some direct response features that make it even more attractive.

On this episode, I go a little bit deeper on my thoughts about paid social in 2019. First, I think brands should find any funds that they can to invest in Instagram and Facebook advertising. Wherever they net out, they then need to look at their total budget and all of their main KPI‘s and then make sure that they properly invest in the most important ones and don’t dilute their spend and under invest in too many initiatives. Take your budget and if it’s less than it needs to be tighten up where and how you spend it.

On this episode, I talk about thinking science before art, when making content. For CPG and beverage brands, we think the most important messages are PFC- Product Front and Center, DTP-Describe The Product and RCO- Retailer (or any distribution) Call Out. Don’t just make tons of content for the hell of it. Get a little more tactical in 2019!

On this episode, I talk about understanding how to use the right social media platforms in the current environment. I encourage brands not to get too romantic about what got you here and not try to overthink the future. Understand what you want to do now and invest the time and energy in the right places, while also leaving just a little bit of attention on what is coming down the road...

On this episode, I break down some of our Q1 2019 tactical recommendations for social media. The big takeaways are a “less is more” approach to content aiming for about 16 posts per month. Boosting of content and making sure you’re putting more money behind less posts so as to give your best content increased chances for exposure and finally rethinking paid social and breaking it into three categories 1- Content Boosting for key message exposure 2- Short term campaigns to support specific initiatives such as retailer support or e-commerce promotions 3- Acquisition campaigns, but with deeper budgets.

On this episode, I talk about the Twitter platform devaluing followers and decreasing the real estate that your follower count takes up on the platform. Twitter is doing this as part of their cleanup process for their network, but we have been saying for a long time that your Twitter follower account is not the goal. It is about getting involved in the conversation, sharing information and communicating with other users. Don’t sweat follower growth at all!

On this episode, I talk about why social media engagement is not the right KPI for measuring your performance on social media. Pam Moore wrote an article for socialmediatoday.com backing up the idea that a lot of your core target demographic is on social and is probably consuming content they just aren’t going so far as engaging with that content via likes shares clicks etc. It is not about those engagement metrics (or at least not only for sure) it is about delivering branded messages to targeted audiences and having the data to support that delivery.

On this episode, I talk about the Quintly report that breaks down Instagram best practices and was published by Andrew Hutchinson on Social Media Today. The key takeaways are: 1- videos generate up to 21% more interaction then static posts. 2- bigger profiles are more likely to utilize video 3- longer captions are more common but shorter descriptions see more engagement 4- fewer hashtags is better 5-EMOJIS can spark response and 6- weekends see higher engagement.

On this episode, I talk about creating content and having that be the fuel for your marketing efforts. Measuring the success of content comes down to your visual opinion and whether or not it elevates the brand or create awareness around key messages. It is not on the performance of the content especially if you’re not providing paid support for that content. I apologize for the audio, but I wanted to sneak it in before I got to the office.

On this episode, I talk about where to invest your time and money if you want to be successful with your social media efforts in 2019. Specifically I talk about video, longform content, investing in third-party tools to help you better understand your audience and as always, paid social and influencer collaborations.

On this episode, I talk about thinking about the science of your content and message before spending so much time on the art. Think about who you want to target and what you want to say and then create assets to back that up. Don’t just create pretty looking assets and then think about how you might want to market then. It’s a subtle difference but an important one.

On this episode, I talk about the update that was put out on Instagram‘s info center regarding the steps they are taking to reduce in authentic activity on their platform. There’s a lot of tools out there to cheat the system and it causes a lot of headaches and really adds no value to anyone. I am really happy to see this proactive change and I hope it has a positive impact and changes the point of view that so many brands have on this topic.

On this episode, I talk about Amazon testing a search based retargeting which would allow you to use the Amazon DSP and then follow users based on their search queries outside of the Amazon walls for the first time. There’s a very attractive product that marketers should be paying close attention to.

On this episode, I talk about my point of you on paid social and how there are really three categories. First is revenue generating ROI focused advertising. The second is reach and awareness around key marketing messages, audience segmentation and in the case of most of our clients retailer support. And the last is guaranteeing delivery for your “organic” content to select audiences.

On this episode, I talk about investing time and effort into Instagram Stories. You should be looking at Instagram Story swipe up ads, creative video and just experimenting with the platform as much as possible. Don’t wait, get involved now!

On this episode, I talk about YouTube premieres and why I think this is a great idea from the platform and for brands. It brings users back to the old TV model where they are expected to tune in for some unique piece of content that they can only see at that time (at least for the first time it is viewers). It is a great idea to experiment a little bit here and get in early to gainsome learnings and see if you can get some attention from users experimenting with this.

On this episode, I go on a rant encouraging people to start showing more respect to Facebook. It is such an important part of your marketing plan and you should not be shortchanging your efforts there or disrespecting the social network. If you are, you are leaving opportunity on the table.

On this episode, I talk about where brands need to invest their dollars and time when it comes to social media and 2019. Every brand needs a social media manager, or a social media management team. They also need to invest in paid social as well as influencer collaborations and marketing.

On this episode, I go on a little rant after losing a prospect. They decided to go with an internal hire only because they thought they get more value because they get that person 100% as opposed to hiring Sircle Media and getting us while also sharing us with other brands. You don’t need one community manager 100% of the time but you do need different skill sets and different personnel to round out a social media strategy. For this reason it makes a world of sense to have an agency partner who can provide the different skill sets. Going internal and thinking you get all of the necessary talent rolled into one person is just not the case.

On this episode, I talk about Amazon and it’s importance for brands looking to sell product online. You should be leveraging the platform and it’s reach and hacking the platform with marketing dollars and expertise to give yourself a better chance to win. Don’t just sit back and hope it works, because it won’t unless you invest the time and effort.

On this episode, I talk about an article from socialmediatoday.com that highlights three Instagram growth lessons from how Smarties has re-designed its on platform image on Instagram. Don’t sweat followers, and remember that most people visiting your profile are not even followers and are probably discovering you for the first time. Convey your personality, have content that stands out from the clutter, share third-party content and not just your own and leverage Instagram Stories, especially highlights for some more in depth messaging around your brand or products.

On this episode, I talk about Instagram’s new name tag feature. It is getting a lot of buzz and certainly worth checking out. Instagram is where all the attention is at and I encourage people and businesses to be very well versed in all aspects of the platform.

On this episode, I talk about my POV on Pinterest, their user count and their new shop the look pins. If you have e-commerce objectives then you should be paying closer attention to Pinterest going forward.

On this episode, I talk about agencies or even employees using bots and or buying followers to boost Instagram numbers. You can see it from the outside in when you see a massive and quick increase in follower count and a ton of likes with very few comments on the Instagram posts. That usually indicates some sort of cheat to get there.

On this episode, I talk about Facebook fan page is being able to join private groups on Facebook. I think this opens up an excellent opportunity for brands with a position, who can be thought leaders around specific messaging.

On this episode, I talk about the importance of working with influencers but encourage brands to find those who have actual depth. There’s a lot of fakers in the influencer market and I think it’s important to find the right ones who actually have true influence.

On this episode I give my POV on Q4 2018 advertising strategy And specifically derived from some of the information in WPROMOTE’s midyear advertising report. It’s a good read put out by a solid company.

On this episode, I talk about not looking at Instagram likes or comments on a posy as the measure (or at least the only measure) of whether or not the content was worthwhile. Followers and like count are much less relevant these days and sometimes branding and storytelling should trump metrics. The art can be more important than the science!

On this episode, I talk about how brands and agencies are having the wrong conversations in this market. They are still looking at earned media vs paid, organic social vs paid AND gross impressions and followers. The reality is that paid social offers you excellent targeting at very low pricing and guaranteed delivery. It should be looked at as an amazing improvement and innovation, over the reach and awareness marketing of the past. Don’t get romantic about things being organic, when you can spend some dollars and facilitate the conversation yourself. That is smart marketing and the right POV in today’s market.

On this episode, I talk about changes to Facebook Ad targeting and why they shouldn’t really matter. Of course decreasing targeting capabilities is not ideal and you will need to figure out how to navigate that, but that should not lead to people abandoning Facebook advertising. It is so powerful and provides reach and consumption at scale. Brands need to have a plan on how they will approach it moving forward, and that plan should not be to sleep on Facebook.

On this episode, I talk a bit about trends in news consumption and content in general online and more importantly on the go. We are living in a mobile device first world and people value their time more than anything. Of course online news and content consumption are increasing as people choose to control for what they read and when they read it.

On this episode, I talk about a conversation I had with an old friend about social media and it being a fad. The economy is great now but when it takes a turn for the worse I believe that our products and offerings add even more value than they do in this current fruitful economy. Social media is no fad, it is the new Internet and businesses can’t sleep on it if they want to win online!

On this episode, I talk about the importance of treating at least some of your Facebook and Instagram advertising as if it were TV and rooted in reach and awareness rather than DR and conversions. Some of it should be art and top of funnel and not only science and down funnel for sales.

On this episode, I talk about the importance of being proactive in August and putting in the work while others sleep. It doesn’t mean you can’t kick back and enjoy the month, it just means you should not be shutting down the engines completely. And in the hours that you do work you should be more strategic and you should really be setting up the latter part of the year to win.

On this episode, I talk about how social media is not just in marketing vertical and is more of a horizontal element for a brand. It truly touches all aspects of your business. When you are deploying real marketing efforts then of course social media metrics and performance matter. You just have to understand when that is and then have a game plan to execute effectively.

On this episode, I talk about why social media metrics don’t always matter. We are all about measurement and results here at Sircle Media, but I think brands get lost in the weeds on the wrong measurements when it comes to understanding their social media efforts. Sometimes you are just looking for reach and awareness, and not engagement and likes. Sometimes you just want to present a message or maybe show off new packaging or a new SKU and aren’t really looking for a response. Don’t plan hard and then pivot because your comments and likes were low. Many times that doesn’t even matter!

On this episode I talk about how much attention is being paid to mobile devices, and marketers should think about ways to get in front of consumers on their mobile device. If Facebook marketing is becoming more expensive then I would argue you should look for other ways to hit people in the phones, before overspending on traditional mediums. If you can afford to do the mall, then by all means go for it. I just think that most can’t invest the necessary dollars into traditional mediums to make it ROI positive.

On this episode I rant a little bit about breaking up with clients over fundamental differences of opinion and then seeing them post break up completely change their ways and actually adopt our recommended strategy. Super frustrating and unnecessary in my opinion. Just communicate better, be transparent and be open-minded and relationships can continue on and flourish

On this episode I talk about not getting lost in the weeds on the metrics for success to determine whether or not something is right for your brand. Especially when it comes down to conveying a brands message, tone or aesthetic.

On this episode I talk about the importance of working with influencers that have large followings, micro influencers with highly engaged niche followings and influencers who can take beautiful photos for you from the content only POV without necessarily leveraging their audience.

On this episode I talk about voice and recommend that people taste it, experiment with it and really give it a try to get a feel for how voice really works. This is another way to distribute content and it is where consumers and businesses are going for sure. Don’t be late to the party!

On this episode I talk about being a little bit more tactical when you work with large influencers. Don’t trust overpay for the collaboration, figure out ways you can glean more value on the backend and make the whole transaction make more sense for your business.

On this episode I talk about voice and the things I learned after attending VoiceCon, put on by Garyvee and VaynerExperience yesterday in New York City. Bottom line- this is real, coming fast and you don’t want to miss the party!

On this episode I talk about putting our content on LinkedIn and then paying close attention to the analytics to see who is reading, watching or engaging with that content. Then if you can figure out who it was you can go in for the close when you were trying to sell to that person.

On this episode I talk about why Facebook fans are irrelevant and in fact even if you had a lot of fans, that is not what you would spend your time and money on with marketing messages. When you target very specific niche audiences on Facebook, they typically perform much better and so if you want to be able to show that you can target audiences with a specific message do so with paid efforts that market other groups not your fans.

On this episode I talk about using the search feature on Twitter putting in the work and reaping the benefits of your efforts. It sounds super basic but it’s become forgotten tool and my strong recommendation is to get involved and to do so right away.

On this episode talk about the favorable Facebook advertising market right now and how I love Targeting users based on the engagement with your Instagram account as well as video view campaigns that leverage short but catchy videos as creative.

On this episode I talk about the importance of setting the stage between clients and agencies on not only your wants and needs but also your communication style and the type of communication style you want from your agency partner. If you can articulate that upfront and continue to advocate for that ongoing, then your relationships with your agencies will improve and so too will the results.

In this episode I talk about how I feel like a trainer sometimes and how brands, when hiring a social media agency can look at things that way too. They should state beforehand what they want to have happen, hire a partner to help them get there with a proven track record and then follow almost blindly until they get there.

In this episode I talk about the importance of being good to your employees and giving them an opportunity to be successful. Happy employees in happy organizations produce better results. I see it over and over…

In this episode I talk about the simple hack to help ensure better reach and potential engagement when working with micro influencers on Instagram. Have a deeper business conversation with them and be a little bit more tactical and you can see some improved results. I apologize for the poor audio, I was walking on the streets of Manhattan.

In this episode we talk about how contradictions can really hurt your results when it comes to your social media efforts. Brands are often not fully committed or hedging and as a result they are compromising the results.

In this episode I give my hot take on where Instagram is as we end the first quarter of 2018. Organic reach is way down, stories are the hot ticket and you should be all over paid IG campaigns that include video.

In this episode I rant a little bit about feeling underappreciated for all the hard work we do for our clients. A Social Media Manager has to cover a lot of ground and we put in hard work and dedication day in and day out. Clients typically are blown away with it early on and then become so accustomed to it that they start to undervalue it and begin to sweat the wrong details. I wish they would take a second to sit and reflect about all that we do for them more.

In this episode I talk about the hardest part of running a client services agency, at least from my point of you. Businesses have been burned by agencies so many times in the past that it is a constant uphill battle to show them why you were different. I wish my clients looked at me more like an employee and saw how I I’ll performed some of the best they have ever had. Instead I get put in the agency bucket and constantly have to prove that I add value in an even deeper way than any employee ever would.

In this episode I talk about the power of social media in selling. If you have a business or sell a product and want to be successful these days you need to be leveraging social media, plain and simple.

On this episode I talk about just getting out there and doing. So much time is wasted thinking about it why social media doesn’t work and if you put the time into just experimenting I think you will find the reasons why it does.

In this episode I talk about Instagram Stories and some of the compelling stats behind them. Brands need to really change their point of view on this platform and start to invest more time and energy into producing Stories. This is where the consumer attention is and therefore this is where the brands should be.

In this episode we talk about how the business objectives should drive social media and not the other way around. Social networks will help you accomplish your goals faster and more efficiently, but first the business needs to define those goals and put the tools in place accomplish them.

On the episode i give my quick hot take on the Vero app and I apologize for the sound - i was on the move walking to work and I just wanted to get some thoughts down before I step into a really busy day. Bottom line is I think it’s a little too early to tell but people should get in there and mess around and form your own opinions!

In this episode we talk about the KPI conversation and why it really comes from the business first and not something that is generated from the social media firm or any marketing partner for that matter. Once a brand or a business has articulated what they want to have happen then their partners should create plans that specifically focus on those outcomes.

On this episode we explain why PR firms are not built for social media management and why they are the one higher for that role. PR firms are mission critical partners when it comes to awareness and exposure and for a brand seeking those there are many great partners out there to choose from. Those are not the right partners for day-to-day social however.

In this episode Adam dives a bit deeper into his Instagram point of view and how to better explain it to retailers, partners or investors who might be less in the know and need some guidance and education.

I reached a point in my career but I only want to work with good and reasonable people. We can argue, we can debate and we can even disagree. I just don’t want to work with people who disrespect and disregard. So I just thought I would share my point of view on a topic.

Brands shouldn’t be looking at followers or engagement as their metric for success of their Instagram efforts. Content should be for storytelling, stories for deeper engagement/ views and ads for performance.